Esther - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

1And in the twelfth month-which is the month of Adar-on the thirteenth day thereof, when the king's order and his edict drew near to be put into execution, on the day that the Jews' enemies looked forward to ruling over them, it was reversed,the Jews should rule over their enemies.

2The Jews assembled in their cities, in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to lay hand on those who sought to harm them, and no one stood up before them, for their fear had fallen upon all the peoples.

The ten sons of Haman: I saw in Seder Olam (ch. 29): These are the ten who wrote a [false] accusation against Judea and Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Ezra (4:6): “And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the dwellers of Judea and Jerusalem.” Now what was the accusation? To stop those who ascended from the exile during the days of Cyrus, who had commenced to build the Temple, and the Cutheans slandered them and stopped them, and when Cyrus died, and Ahasuerus reigned, and Haman was promoted, he feared that those in Jerusalem would engage in the construction, and they sent in the name of Ahasuerus to the princes of the other side of the river to stop them.

but on the spoil they did not lay their hands: so that the king should not cast an envious eye on their money.

11On that day, the number of those slain in Shushan the capital came before the king.

12And the king said to Queen Esther, "In Shushan the capital the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men, and the ten sons of Haman; in the rest of the king's provinces what have they done! Now what is your petition, and it shall be granted you, and what is your request, and it shall be done."

16And the rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces assembled and protected themselves and had rest from their enemies and slew their foes, seventy-five thousand, but upon the spoil they did not lay their hands

the… villagers: who do not dwell in walled cities, [celebrate] on the fourteenth, and those who dwell in walled cities [celebrate] on the fifteenth, like Shushan, and [these cities] must be surrounded [by walls] since the days of Joshua the son of Nun. So did our Sages expound and learn.

and… sending: Heb. וּמִשְּׁלֹחַ. This is a noun, like מִשְּׁמָר, watch, מִשְּׁמָע hearing. Therefore, the “shin” is vowelized soft (without a “dagesh”).

20And Mordecai inscribed these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,

22as the days when the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month that was reversed for them from grief to joy and from mourning to a festive day-to make them days of feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

therefore, because of all the words of this letter: these days were established, and therefore it was written for future generations to know.

and what they saw: those who did these deeds, that they did them.

and what happened to them: What did Ahasuerus see that he used the sacred vessels, and what happened to them? That Satan came and danced among them and slew Vashti. And what did Haman see that he became envious of Mordecai, and what happened to him? They hanged him and his sons. And what did Mordecai see that he did not kneel or prostrate himself, and what did Esther see that she invited Haman?

27The Jews ordained and took upon themselves and upon their seed and upon all those who join them, that it is not to be revoked to make these two days according to their script and according to their appointed time, every year.

according to their script: that the Scroll [of Esther] should be written in the Ashuri script.

28And these days shall be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, in every family, every province, and every city, and these days of Purim shall not be revoked from amidst the Jews, and their memory shall not cease from their seed.

and celebrated: feasting and rejoicing and a festive day, to give portions [of food to friends] and gifts [to the poor].

every family: gather together and feast and drink together, and so they took upon themselves that the Purim days would not be revoked.

shall not cease: Heb. לֹא יָסוּף. This is the Aramaic translation of יִתֹּם, will end, for the Targum of (Deut. 2:14) “ עַד תֹּם” is עַד דְסַף, until it finished, and it is impossible to say that it is derived from the same root as (Gen. 19:15): “lest you perish (תִּסָפֶה) ,” or from the same root as (I Sam. 27:1): “Now I shall perish (אֶסָפֶה) one day,” for if that were so, Scripture should have written: לֹא יִסָפֶה מִזַרְעָם.

29Now, Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote down all [the acts of] power, to confirm the second Purim letter.

31to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had ordained for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fasts and their cry.

Now Esther’s order confirmed, etc.: Esther requested of the sages of the generation to commemorate her and to write this book with the rest of the Holy Writings, and that is the meaning of “and it was inscribed in the book.”